With Good Reason

January 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Andrew Kaufman’s (University of Virginia) book Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times says that Tolstoy’s masterpiece is more relevant to readers now than ever. Plus: Gone With the Wind, The Patriot, Born on the Fourth of July—some of America’s most important historical moments have been shown through film. Historian Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) says while these movies often get the facts wrong, there’s history to be learned from the way the stories are told.

Later in the show: This Christmas, you might be having some bourbon in your eggnog or a hot buttered rum or two, but biologist Lytton Musselman (Old Dominion University) is making his own cordials and spirits from wild roots, berries, and mushrooms. Musselman says he loves the distinct differences in flavor each plant (or fungus) brings to the liquor because, he says, “we are reminded of the glens, marshes, prairies, lakes, and forests where they live, who they hang out with, and their seasons of life.” Also featured: Delores Phillips (Old Dominion University) researches how multicultural families deal with holiday foods that will be on the table at this time of year. She speaks from personal experience as an African American married into a Vietnamese-American family with in-laws from both cultures.

January 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Andrew Kaufman’s (University of Virginia) book Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times says that Tolstoy’s masterpiece is more relevant to readers now than ever. Plus: Gone With the Wind, The Patriot, Born on the Fourth of July—some of America’s most important historical moments have been shown through film. Historian Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) says while these movies often get the facts wrong, there’s history to be learned from the way the stories are told.

Later in the show: This Christmas, you might be having some bourbon in your eggnog or a hot buttered rum or two, but biologist Lytton Musselman (Old Dominion University) is making his own cordials and spirits from wild roots, berries, and mushrooms. Musselman says he loves the distinct differences in flavor each plant (or fungus) brings to the liquor because, he says, “we are reminded of the glens, marshes, prairies, lakes, and forests where they live, who they hang out with, and their seasons of life.” Also featured: Delores Phillips (Old Dominion University) researches how multicultural families deal with holiday foods that will be on the table at this time of year. She speaks from personal experience as an African American married into a Vietnamese-American family with in-laws from both cultures.

More than 30 people who spent the last three years immersed in thousands of letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abigail Adams, and James Madison, are experiencing a sense of loss and sorrow now that the massive project to proofread the letters and make them available online has come to a close. Join us as Bill Kissell, Donna Carty, and Dena Radley share favorite letters that reveal the fascinating inner lives of the founders. Also: Project Director Sue Perdue (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) and Kathleen Williams (National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives) describe the scope of this remarkable project of the National Archives called Founders Online.

Later in the show: In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can expand the ties between people. Also featured: From Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” Frances Flannery (James Madison University) argues that we need to think about long-term solutions which involve a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.”

More than 30 people who spent the last three years immersed in thousands of letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abigail Adams, and James Madison, are experiencing a sense of loss and sorrow now that the massive project to proofread the letters and make them available online has come to a close. Join us as Bill Kissell, Donna Carty, and Dena Radley share favorite letters that reveal the fascinating inner lives of the founders. Also: Project Director Sue Perdue (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) and Kathleen Williams (National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives) describe the scope of this remarkable project of the National Archives called Founders Online.

Later in the show: In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can expand the ties between people. Also featured: From Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” Frances Flannery (James Madison University) argues that we need to think about long-term solutions which involve a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.”

More than 30 people who spent the last three years immersed in thousands of letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abigail Adams, and James Madison, are experiencing a sense of loss and sorrow now that the massive project to proofread the letters and make them available online has come to a close. Join us as Bill Kissell, Donna Carty, and Dena Radley share favorite letters that reveal the fascinating inner lives of the founders. Also: Project Director Sue Perdue (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) and Kathleen Williams (National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives) describe the scope of this remarkable project of the National Archives called Founders Online.

Later in the show: In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can expand the ties between people. Also featured: From Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” Frances Flannery (James Madison University) argues that we need to think about long-term solutions which involve a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.”

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in his book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools.

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in his book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools.

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in his book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools.

Gathered around the Thanksgiving table, Americans tell stories about colonists and Native Americans coming together. But do Native Americans even celebrate Thanksgiving? And what would Native American heritage food look like? This November, With Good Reason takes a look at the indigenous side of a Thanksgiving table. Karenne Wood (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) talks about how Native Americans celebrate the holiday. Plus: Minnesota Chef Sean Sherman (the Sioux Chef) gives us a taste of pre-contact American Indian cuisine. And: We take a look at the complicated history of the most well-known reservation food, fry-bread.

TraditionalThanksgivingLater in the show: An oldie but goodie from our archives… With Good Reason invites you to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but nearly everything on the table is grown, made, or brewed within 100 miles of our studios in Charlottesville, Virginia. The dinner host, Tim Beatley (University of Virginia), introduced the 100-mile Thanksgiving idea to his students after reading The 100-mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. About 95 miles east, in Petersburg, Reza Rafie and Chris Mullins (Virginia State University) train farmers to use greenhouse-like structures called High Tunnels to grow high-profit margin berries and other exotic fruits and vegetables year-round. Sixty miles west, Maria Papadakis (James Madison University) visits an energy-efficient turkey farm in the Shenandoah Valley to showcase ways farmers can save money while doing their part to conserve natural resources.

Gathered around the Thanksgiving table, Americans tell stories about colonists and Native Americans coming together. But do Native Americans even celebrate Thanksgiving? And what would Native American heritage food look like? This November, With Good Reason takes a look at the indigenous side of a Thanksgiving table. Karenne Wood (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) talks about how Native Americans celebrate the holiday. Plus: Minnesota Chef Sean Sherman (the Sioux Chef) gives us a taste of pre-contact American Indian cuisine. And: We take a look at the complicated history of the most well-known reservation food, fry-bread.

TraditionalThanksgivingLater in the show: An oldie but goodie from our archives… With Good Reason invites you to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but nearly everything on the table is grown, made, or brewed within 100 miles of our studios in Charlottesville, Virginia. The dinner host, Tim Beatley (University of Virginia), introduced the 100-mile Thanksgiving idea to his students after reading The 100-mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. About 95 miles east, in Petersburg, Reza Rafie and Chris Mullins (Virginia State University) train farmers to use greenhouse-like structures called High Tunnels to grow high-profit margin berries and other exotic fruits and vegetables year-round. Sixty miles west, Maria Papadakis (James Madison University) visits an energy-efficient turkey farm in the Shenandoah Valley to showcase ways farmers can save money while doing their part to conserve natural resources.